
Parkinson’s Disease Support, Education, Exercise
Story and Photos by Jo Ann Kirby
Cherie Harth is one of more than 116,000 people in California who are battling Parkinson’s disease. Looking back, she realizes she was likely experiencing at least one symptom when she was in her 30s, several decades before she was diagnosed.
“I was walking in the woods and I couldn’t smell the pine trees,” she said. Losing one’s sense of smell is one indicator. Other signs of the progressive disorder of the brain include muscle rigidity, tremors and changes in speech and movement. Cherie has found a path forward in Lodi to help her deal with the physical and emotional toll of the disease by participating in a support group and by taking a boxing fitness class.
Cause and Treatment
Scientists believe a lack of dopamine causes Parkinson’s disease as the nerve cells that produce dopamine die or become impaired. Treatments can include medication, surgery, physical and speech therapy and attention to exercise and diet. Nearly 90,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every year and an estimated 116,900 people live with Parkinson’s in California, the highest number of people with the disease in the country, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
A 300-mile-long stretch of farmland in California’s Central Valley between Bakersfield has been named Parkinson’s Alley by neurologists. The disease rate in the Central Valley is about five times higher than that of people living in the surrounding areas.
Support and Camaraderie
After her diagnosis of Parkinson’s, Cherie soon learned she was not alone. At 10:00 a.m. on the first Monday of each month, the Lodi Parkinson’s Support Group meets at GracePoint Church, 801 S. Lower Sacramento Road in Lodi. “There are so many people with Parkinson’s,” Maureen Olsen, one of the support group’s facilitators, said. “Normally, we have 30 to 40 people attend. We talk about tips for handling the challenges of the disease. We also bring in speakers. We’ve had physiotherapists, doctors, pharmacy reps.” Maureen’s husband, Ron, has Parkinson’s and says the support group has been vital for them as they learned to navigate the challenges of the disease.
The support group isn’t just educational; it also provides a valuable social connection for people who might feel isolated after their diagnosis. “It’s easier to come and socialize with people who are dealing with the same things you are,” Charlene Martin, another facilitator whose husband, Pete, has Parkinson’s.
Sharing Knowledge
Robin Bray, a facilitator who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014, prefers to call herself a “tour guide” for all the different stages of Parkinson’s, a disease that can become more debilitating as it advances. Robin says those who attend the support group become better educated about the disease.
On the third Monday of each month at 10:00 a.m., the Lodi Parkinson’s Care Partners Support Group meets at the same location. It’s a safe space for venting, sharing and connecting. “We’ve gotten a lot of helpful information and camaraderie out of attending,” Paul Harth, Cherie’s husband, said. GracePoint Church offers meeting space to the two support groups free of charge and considers it a ministry to do so.
Along with the emotional boost found by comparing notes with those on the same journey, Cherie said exercise has been vital in staving off the disease and lifting her mood. Because exercise creates a dopamine release, Cherie believes working out is equally important as the medication she takes for the disorder. In addition to taking long daily walks, she takes an exercise class up to four times a week that is tailored for Parkinson’s patients.
Box: Become Rock Steady
Sheldon and Catherine Vicks are owners of The BOX Boxing Fitness gym in Lodi and have a nonprofit, Knockout Parkinson’s Inc., that offers non-contact boxing circuit training and yoga with certified trainers to help those with Parkinson’s improve their mobility and flexibility. “We have people with a wide range of abilities, and they all participate at their own pace,” Catherine said. Catherine starts off each hour-long session with a warmup and some yoga stretching. As the disco hit “Staying Alive” blares from a speaker, Catherine told her class to jog in place during one recent session. “Let’s get that heart rate going,” she instructed. After their warmup with Catherine, Sheldon encouraged the class to take a water break and don their gloves for a circuit workout with punching bags.
Proudly sporting her Will Work for Dopamine T-shirt, Cherie put on a pair of red boxing gloves and got ready for boxing exercises designed to help her increase strength, improve eye-hand coordination and boost her balance. Sheldon talked and walked the class through the different circuits.
Sheldon was teaching kickboxing when he was asked to consider offering a boxing class for Parkinson’s patients. He traveled to Indianapolis to attend the Rock Steady training camp and became a certified instructor in the Rock Steady method, which uses the mechanics of boxing to address balance, stiffness, tremors, coordination and soft voice syndrome associated with Parkinson’s.
Before the COVID pandemic, Catherine said, they had 75 people attending Parkinson’s boxing classes. The number dropped to 25 and is slowly starting to bounce back. To keep the classes affordable, they host fundraisers and are looking for “punch partners” who will donate $5, $10, $15 or $20 a month. “No one else is doing a class like this in our area,” Catherine, a certified yoga therapist, said. The Parkinson’s boxing classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. The gym is located at 167 Commerce Street #101 in Lodi.
Caring for Each Other
As with the support groups at GracePoint Church, the fitness class is a way to bond with others who are on the same path. Their care partners often hang out during the class and commiserate. Many of the folks taking the class also attend the support groups at GracePoint and have become friends.
“The class keeps me more limber and keeps some of the symptoms away,” Cherie affirmed. “I feel better and I feel more alert after I work out. We stay and chat with each other after, we have each other’s numbers and if we don’t see someone for a week or two, we will give them a call,” she added. “People with Parkinson’s can get depressed; all these things make a difference.”